2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Houghton Lake, MI vs West Branch, MI

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Highlights
- Household income in West Branch, is 25% less than it is in Houghton Lake and is 115% below the National Average.
- Houghton Lake unemployment rate is 9.9%.
- West Branch unemployment rate is 8.5%.
 Houghton Lake, MIWest Branch, MIUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.5%1.6%
 Future Job Growth24.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock4.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$25,587  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$32,172$69,021
 Family Median Income$53,718  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Houghton Lake, MIWest Branch, MIUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock12.3%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K5.7%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock20.3%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock6.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K13.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.7%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K8.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock5.5%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K1.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock0.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Houghton Lake, MIWest Branch, MIUnited States
 Management, business, finance3.0%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock4.6%6.5%
 Community, social services3.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.0%1.2%
 Education, library0.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock0.0%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock9.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.5%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock1.9%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support32.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair10.1%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock16.2%13.1%
Reviews for Houghton Lake    3 Reviews

This is a rural resort area. You must be able to embrace the rural lifestyle. There's no real shopping opportunities other than Walmart, Kmart, Peebles, Dunhams, Tractor  More

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Over 17 years ago

The quality of life here for most depends on how you look at it. If your looking for a medium to high paying job there realy are none, and there's hardly any jobs that  More

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The climate here is...well..cold... seems like most of the time and one does get cabin fever when March rolls around, if not sooner. Can't wait for summer! If you love  More

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Reviews for West Branch    1 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

pros: affordable cost of living, close to Michigan's lakes and forests cons: no jobs, small town atmosphere, sequestered location, bad winters, I lived in West  More

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